The Best Thing at Ramen Tatsu-Ya Is...Brussels Sprouts?

Not feeling noodles? Load up on veggies instead.

I've made my feelings about lines very clear. That meant the hours before the Astros parade on Friday was the perfect time to visit Ramen Tatsu-Ya, which is usually overwhelmed by diners by 11:30 a.m. The owners took me through their classic tonkotsu, whose broth is unusually smoky thanks to the addition of blackened garlic oil; the spicy soybean paste (bolstered by the addition of Parmesan, the power ingredient of the season at ramen eateries) of the Miso Hot; and a new coconut broth dotted with squash instead of meat.

It was all good, very good. Soups were uniformly rich and silky, with well-chosen mix-ins from braised-then-seared cha siu pork belly to corn to pickled ginger. But as much as I liked it, something else turned my head. Everyone in Houston has a fried Brussels sprout dish, and usually, I'm indifferent to it. Not this time, and that was even before I knew the halved brassicas are called Sweet & Sour Yodas.

Unlike most of the city's sluttier Brussels dishes, these veggies don't rely on bacon or bonito flakes for cheap thrills. The crispy critters are just a mess of tiny cabbages and thin slices of garlic in a sticky sauce of tangy, fruity apricot vinegar and curry spices. The odd combination, and the fact that it's a bit greasy, smacks of some of the most sophisticated, most eclectic hangover food I can imagine.

To make it more of a meal, the Aikawa brothers, executive chef Tatsu and director of operations Shion, and co-owner Tako Matsumoto, have added a very good version of marinated-and-fried chicken karaage. Or there are menchi katsu (breaded beef patty) sliders, or juicy gyoza, for a protein kick. But whatever you do, forget about the Yodas do not.